Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Justin Fields walks back polarizing postgame jab at Bears fans

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 9/22/22

If the Chicago Bears' 27-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field wasn’t humbling enough for quarterback Justin Fields, the social media backlash the 23-year-old signal-caller faced after his postgame comments might have done the trick.

Asked if Sunday’s loss stung a little more given Chicago’s lack of success against the Packers coupled with how badly their fans wanted a win against their NFC North rival, Fields’ response, which seemed to be a shot at Bears fans, took on a life of its own on social media after it circulated without proper context.

“It hurts more in the locker room than (it hurts) the Bears fans,” Fields told reporters on Sunday night. “At the end of the day, they aren’t putting in any work. I see the guys in the locker room every day. I see how much work they put in. Coming out of a disappointing loss like this, it hurts.”

During his media availability on Wednesday, Fields, who completed 7-of-11 passes for 70 yards and an interception against Green Bay, was clearly bothered by the media’s misrepresentation of his words.

.@justnfields: "I respect every fan that we have. I'm glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do." pic.twitter.com/hpzFVoo6yT
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) September 21, 2022

He addressed the situation further, stating, “Yeah, I was mad after the game; I’d like to address this now to get everything cleared up,” Fields clarified. “There was a thing I said on Sunday after the game where I said the fans don’t put in work. First off, I was frustrated after the game. No. 1, I didn’t want to talk to [the media]. I wasn’t in the mood to come and talk to you guys. So, I should’ve done a better job of explaining what I meant.

“…I respect every fan that we have. I’m glad that we have fans. I would never disrespect anybody on what they do or what they love to do. It came off like that. Some social media outlets, they quoted my quote, and they got a big buzz out of it. So, of course, they did a great job doing that. Of course, social media is going to do that. But I just wanted to clear that up.”

Fields admitted that a conversation with his father after the incident prompted him to reflect on what happened and use it as a teaching moment.

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